TPU. Thermoplastic urethane.
Tough & flexible.
Soft engineering plastic.
Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) — flexible engineering plastic. Bridges plastic and rubber. Excellent abrasion resistance, oil resistance, mechanical properties.
Key principles.
Block copolymer
Hard segments + soft segments. Tunable hardness 60A-80D.
UTS 35-50 MPa, 500%+ elongation
Like rubber but processable as thermoplastic. Tough.
Best in class
Highest abrasion resistance of common plastics. Outperforms most rubbers.
Excellent
Resists petroleum oils, fuels. Standard for hydraulic seals, conveyor parts.
60 Shore A to 80 Shore D
Soft TPU like rubber. Hard TPU like rigid plastic. Continuum tunable.
Mid-priced
~$5-10/kg. Premium over commodity plastics.
FAQ
TPU vs rubber?
TPU thermoplastic — moldable, recyclable, faster cycle. Rubber thermoset — vulcanized, higher temperature limit.
Hardness selection?
60-80A: soft (rubber-like). 90-95A: medium-firm. 50-60D: firm. 60-80D: hard plastic.
Major applications?
Conveyor belts, sport shoe soles, hydraulic seals, cable jackets, 3D printing filament, flexible phone cases.
3D printing?
TPU FDM filament — popular for flexible 3D-printed parts. Different from rigid PLA, ABS.
Chemical resistance?
Excellent vs oils, fuels. Limited vs strong acids, ketones, hot water.
Compression vs flex?
TPU recovers from compression (compression set 20-30%). Better than rubber for some seal applications.